1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for simulating a motion of a robot mechanical unit taught to a robot controller. In particular, the present invention relates to a robot simulation apparatus for simulating a motion of a system formed by combining a robot and its peripheral device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is already known a robot simulation apparatus that displays a motion of a robot mechanical unit on a screen of a display apparatus in an animation form on the basis of a teaching motion program taught to a robot controller, and simulates the robot mechanical unit motion in order to study and confirm the teaching motion program.
Furthermore, there has also been developed an apparatus in which a robot controller and a computer are connected to each other, and the computer receives a robot mechanical unit motion signal from the robot controller and displays a robot mechanical unit motion on its display screen in an animation form (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-105359). In this technique, however, animation display of the robot mechanical unit motion based on the robot mechanical unit motion signal is conducted, but I/O data are not displayed.
When simulating the robot mechanical unit motion on the basis of a teaching motion program, it is difficult in this technique to conduct simulation of I/O (input/output) signals. Therefore, it is difficult to track and analyze alarms and errors caused in the controller. As a result, this technique is insufficient as simulation of the whole system, and it is not sufficient in evaluation of a teaching motion program.